"N-Nick…" He opened his eyes to look up at Nick weakly. His eyes were tired, but they were definitely filled with fear. Fear that he was practically too frozen to feel. His skin was ghostly white, and his eyelashes had tiny pieces of ice stuck to them.
“Cas…” he whispered. As he was distracted, the pirates moved in, grabbing each of Nick’s arms and moving him off of Cas. He tried to throw them off but they were too strong as they pulled him away. “Cas!”
"N… N-No!" Cas fell to the ground, shaking violently. He wanted desperately to go to Nick, but he couldn't move.
Nick’s hands heated up, but the third pirate put a knife to his neck as he swallowed nervously. “Make fire and you die,” the man threatened in a low voice. Nick’s flames faded before they had even come into being. The pirates all but ignored Cas, believing him to be helpless.
Cas fell into another coughing fit and collapsed. His coughing caused more ice to jump up in spikes on the ground, and it froze the pirates in place.
Nick watched Cas, more scared than ever. The pirates were shivering now, gooseflesh creeping up their arms. Even Nick could feel the chill permeating his usual aura of warmth. He felt so helpless. Cas couldn’t die like this, not now. Suddenly Lydia emerged from the captain’s cabin, her eyes widening. “What in the stars is happening here?” she exclaimed.
Cas was hugging his stomach and shivering violently, barely conscious by now. Ice slowly spread across the deck from where he was laying on it.
“I don’t know,” Nick answered Lydia quietly, gazing up at her with a combination of fear and hope. “Can you help him?”
Lydia pressed her lips together. “Well, a dead prince is no good to me…I suppose I can try.”
Cas suddenly fell limp, his consciousness fading. He was still lightly trembling on the ground, but being unconscious made his shaking weaker.
Both Nick and Lydia looked at Cas in alarm and Nick darted under the pirate’s knife, using his captor’s shock to break free and run over to Cas.
“Nicolas, don’t be a fool! I have an ancient talisman that is supposed to help against what is ailing him, but you being over there will only weaken you as well!” Lydia called, glaring at Nick before hurrying back into the cabin and retrieving a old, rusty silver necklace. Nick glanced at it distastefully, but hopefully, as a tear rolling down his cheek froze on his face. His hands trembled, and he felt as if he was in a bath of snow and ice.
Lydia walked over with the necklace, putting it around Cas’s neck, before walking back to the other pirates. “That should help.”
Cas stayed unconscious for now, unaware of the minor chaos and larger panic he'd caused around him. His skin was almost pure white, and his hair looked like he was graying due to the frost on it. He was still shaking, which got worse as he started to grasp at consciousness.
“Is it working?” Nick asked frightfully, frost creeping onto his fingers. His lips were blue with the sudden chill.
“I don’t know,” Lydia responded, all mirth drained from her face for once. She looked serious, almost worried.
"Nnn…" Cas groaned softly, stirring a bit as he fought to wake up. "N-Nick…" He whispered, his voice faltering and breaking.
“Cas!” Nick breathed, clinging onto him. He was shaking from the cold, and could practically see his breath in front of his face.
Cas opened his eyes weakly and noticed Nick. "N… No… I-I'm hurting you…" He tried to push Nick away, but he couldn't.
“I’m f-f-fine, C-Cas,” Nick replied, the cold getting to him. He figured trying to warm up either of them would be futile at this point. He smiled, relief evident on his face.
"N-No… you're shivering." Cas kept trying to push him away weakly. "You don't get cold…"
“Stop t-trying to p-push me away,” Nick responded. “Everything is okay. It’ll be okay.” Nick tried to warm himself up so that Cas wouldn’t worry. It worked for a moment or two before Nick began to shiver again. Why couldn’t he get warm?
"I'm hurting you. P-Please… I don't wanna hurt you…" A tear escaped his eye and immediately froze on his cheek.
“B-but Lydia p-put that t-talisman around your neck, so you should g-get better…” Nick muttered, eyes darting over to the pirates. Had Lydia lied? Why did he trust her? An uneasy feeling gnawed at his stomach.
"I-I'm sure it's helping some, but whatever's happening to me probably can't completely fix it…"
“B-But what is g-going to happen to you?” Nick asked, his eyes searching Cas’s face as he felt the frost gradually travel up his arms. If he walked away from Cas, he could probably melt the ice with ease. But with the cold permeating his skin right now, it was an uphill battle.
Cas shrugged. "I don't know, but for your own safety, please, just… let go right now. I promise it'll only be temporary."
“B-but…how can you be sure?” Nick asked desperately, not letting go of Cas. Though the pleading look Cas’s eyes was nearly enough to make Nick run to the other side of the ship just to make Cas feel better.
"Look at your arms…" Cas pointed to the frost on them. "It's because you're touching me. You'd be okay if you weren't touching me."
“Cas, I’m scared f-for you,” he admitted, another tear sliding down his cheek and freezing in place. “I c-can’t leave you when I’m n-not sure if you’ll b-be okay.”
"You don't have to go far, j-just… please…" Cas looked up at Nick from where he was, his own eyes shining with tears.
Nick bit his lip, blowing through his nose sharply for a moment before he nodded. “Okay, I’ll g-go,” he replied, slowly sitting up and then standing. It was clear that it took some effort for him. He took several paces before turning and warming himself up, the ice becoming water and then steam on his arms and face.
Cas breathed a shaky sigh of relief and curled up on the ground, still shivering. He didn't feel much better, but he wasn't worried about that. Nick was okay, and that was what mattered.
Nick paced on the deck of the ship before daring a glance back at Lydia and the other three pirates. “Is there anything else we can do for him?” he demanded. Lydia stared him down.
“I don’t know, magic maybe?” she supplied. “And don’t look me, I don’t have any powers.” Nick glanced at Cas again, mind racing.